


Trauma Stuck

by ImpyTricky (rychuu)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Kaito has a panic attack, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 22:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20842958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rychuu/pseuds/ImpyTricky
Summary: Kokichi and Kaito get trapped in an elevator, and Kaito doesn't do well in small spaces.





	Trauma Stuck

Another turn down.

Despite their fame from the final season of “Danganronpa,” Kaito was finding it more and more difficult to find work. While he currently worked at some convenience store, he didn’t care for the low pay or the graveyard shift his fame forced him into. He had to wear a hat over his gelled-up hair or not gel it up in the first place; thankfully, that was enough to deter most fans from recognizing him, but there was still the odd case of girls squealing and rushing over to him to gush over his “cool catchphrases” or what not.

It was tiring; even when he could go along with it, Kaito wanted something more… private.

Desk work didn’t sound all that great of a step up, but he’d rather work in some call center than the 7-Eleven down the street. Yet as he walked out of the interview room, having shook hands with the manager, he had a strong feeling in his gut that his application was probably more likely to be trashed than reviewed.

After all, who wanted to hire anyone from the class that destroyed a beloved franchise?

Still, walking out towards the waiting room, his eyes fell onto the pale face of Kokichi Ouma. He was sitting in the chair like a bored child, hanging his legs over one arm of the chair and using the other to support his head. He was occupying himself with some sort of handheld game Kaito remembered getting him for Christmas last year, and it made him smile to know that it was well used.

“Hey, Kokichi,” Kaito called out to him, earning him a glance. “Time to get going.”

“Ugh, _ finally!” _ Kokichi whined. “I’m starving! I feel like I haven’t eaten in days, Kaito! When we get home, we gotta order pizza.”

“We have plenty of left overs,” Kaito pointed out, throwing his jacket over his shoulder. “Though, you know, pizza might not actually be a bad idea.”

As Kokichi stretched and stood up, he hummed and tailed behind Kaito as they made their way towards the exit. “Yeesh. That bad, huh?”

“What?”

“The interview,” Kokichi clarified. “How many times did the roll his eyes? Two, three, four times? How fast do you think he decided he wasn’t in the mood for hiring you?”

“Eh, you never know.” Kaito shrugged and pressed the button to call the elevator. “Maybe he’ll think on it.”

“Oof, that sounds like we need _ really _to pick up some ice cream on the way home, too.”

Kokichi’s antics only made Kaito sigh, but it was relieving all the same. Living together wasn’t an arrangement he had intended on keeping permanent, but he had grown fond of the mischief and liveliness Kokichi brought into his life. A small comfort in a world so rotten that it still couldn’t decide if Killing Games were unethical or not.

Stepping into the elevator, Kokichi followed right behind and the doors closed. Immediately, Kaito felt his heart thudding against his rib cage. What about elevators made him so nervous…?

Kaito breathed in through his nose, and exhaled. The grip he had on the jacket he still draped over his shoulder tightened.

The elevator started moving, and he felt his gut twist.

Though, just before he thought to close his eyes, Kokichi hummed. “So what kind of pizza you want tonight? I want mine topped with onions and bell peppers.”

Crunchy textures, no doubt. Kokichi had a hard time tasting food, yet at least Kokichi wasn’t going outrageous with the topping demands. “I dunno. I kind of want pepperoni and tomatoes.”

Kokichi’s face scrunched up and he stuck out his tongue. “Bleck, meat-lover.”

“You only hate it ‘cause you can’t taste how _ awesome _ it is.”

“And because the poor wittle baby animals you have to kill to eat meat!” Kokichi cried out, though very obviously playing up the dramatics more for laughs than for a genuine reaction. He even pull out the crocodile tears. “Think of those cute baby animals you’re eating. Every time I so much as look as a slice of pepperoni I can just imagine the poor thing’s cute little face staring up at me.”

“Geez, dude, now you’re making me actually feel _ bad.” _ Not that he actually felt bad, but it was always part of the comfortable banter they settled in to. “And to think, I just thought it was the weird textures that you didn’t like. How horrible of me.”

“Yeah, well, I guess nothing gets passed you, my beloved Kaito!” Kokichi chirped, grinning as he tucked his hands behind his head. The term of endearment had Kaito’s cheeks burning, however. “Yup, it was a lie. I’m a supreme leader of evil, after all! I don’t care about baby animals and people who eat meat. I just don’t get the appeal.”

“Hmm, well, there was that one time...” Kaito grinned. “Didn’t we go out with a lunch date with Shuichi for his birthday and you had a hard time eating lobster?”

“Ack! Th-that’s entirely different!” Kokichi protested, pouting.

“I dunno, you did look like you were about to cry when you saw it—“

As nice as the playful banter was, it wasn’t destined to continue. Suddenly, the elevator stopped with a sudden jerk, and the light immediately flickered out. Kaito and Kokichi both cried out from the sudden change, both being startled by the sudden shift in light.

Kaito had stumbled in the dark, over towards the wall next to him and grabbing the hand rail there. He squeezed it so tight that he could imagine his knuckles turning white, and his jaw clenched to the point where the strain was painful. He tried to breathe, but the air wasn’t coming.

“Shit, shit,” he could hear Kokichi on the other side of the elevator, fumbling around. Soon, there was a bright white light coming from the cell phone in his hands. “Ugh, just our luck. Must be a power surge. Hey, Kaito, you—”

Kokichi interrupted himself with a small gasp as he shone the cellphone light over to him, and Kaito could see that Kokichi’s eyes had gone wide.

“… Kaito,” he started after a moment. “You doing okay over there?”

As much as Kaito wanted to be fine, he couldn’t even say as such. He couldn’t breathe, he felt nauseous, his heart felt like it was about to explode—

“… Kaito?”

The attempts at shallow breaths were replaced with desperate gasps for air, and Kaito had realized only just then that he had doubled over at some point.

“’M fine,” Kaito managed to growl out, but he could barely hear himself over the sound of a mechanical roar.

The loud, mechanical roar of rocket engines, the fire heating the steel that burned his skin—

“Hey, Kaito...”

—Nor could he breathe, a familiar metallic taste staining the back of his throat—

“Kaito.”

—Dying, dying, he was about to—

“_Kaito!” _

Kaito gasped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it tightly. It took him a minute to recognize the face that was in front of him, to recognize those wide, lilac eyes staring into his own.

“Kaito,” Kokichi repeated, this time a fair bit softer, barely above a whisper. He was also breathing hard, and his eyes looked watery. “… It’s okay. I’m here.”

“I’m… fine,” Kaito blurted out, not really aware of why he said that to begin with. “I’m… I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kokichi didn’t sound like he believed him, but before he could insist, Kokichi continued; “Sit down. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“But—”

“_Sit.” _

Kaito knew that tone. Kokichi rarely took that tone with him, or rarely with anyone in general, but Kaito knew it well enough that challenging it would be a big mistake. So quietly, aside from his own jagged breathing, he did as he was told. He didn’t exactly sit down, but he found himself on his knees instead of standing.

All the while, Kaito refused to let go of the metal hand rail. He was too afraid that if he did, he would spiral more out of control than he already was. He was still wheezing, struggling to breathe. With a pathetic whimper, Kaito leaned his head against his arm, against the wall, and yet he as still struggling to breathe.

While he had his eyes squeezed shut, he felt Kokichi slowly but surely snake his arms around him, and muttered; “I’ve got you.” Kokichi immediately tightened his grip on him. “I’ve got you.”

Logically, a part of Kaito’s mind suspected that Kokichi hugging him so tight should have made breathing all the more impossible, but illogically, it did the exact opposite. Slowly, Kaito could feel the air trickling down his throat, and his harsh gasps for air turned into something more stable. Still harsh, and his throat felt scratchy from how harsh his breathing had been and continued to be, but at the very least, he felt like he was finally able to breathe.

With a sigh, Kaito moved his free arm to wrap around Kokichi, tight and shaking, while he buried his face into the crook of Kokichi’s neck. He felt tears stinging in the corners of his eyes, and his whole body was shaking.

“It’s okay,” Kokichi murmured again, squeezing him. “You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

With a single, quiet sob, Kaito tightened his grip on Kokichi, though refusing to let go of the hand rail. For all of his shaking, Kokichi started to rub circles into his back, and the motion was soothing. So soothing, that it broke him further, and Kaito sobbed again. Any tears he tried to held back broke free and stung as they rolled down his face.

He felt so weak. Even when the lights flickered back on, even when he knew everything was okay, Kaito couldn’t bring himself to move. Too weak, too petrified. A disgusting feeling of helplessness coiled in his gut, but no matter how hard he tried to move, he just couldn’t.

Kaito didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually, Kokichi whispered; “When we get home, we’re gonna get so much pizza and ice cream, and we’re gonna watch your favorite movie and build the biggest pillow fort ever. My treat.”

Something about the promise made Kaito snort, his laughter heavy and mixed with the sound of sobbing. He didn’t know exactly why or how, but Kokichi always knew how to cheer him up or distract him. He never forced him to speak, never demanded honesty, never demanded anything. He always knew just what to say or do to make things easier.

Finally, Kaito released his vice-like grip on the hand rail, and moved it to wrap it instead around the small of Kokichi’s back. He squeezed.

“Sounds… sounds good. Thanks, Kokichi.”


End file.
